There are moments in life when you just have to challenge greatness.
During All-Star Weekend, Kobe promised Lakers fans he'd personally tear through the darkness ahead and bring the Lakers back into the playoff picture.
And sure enough, Kobe delivered.
During the regular season's final sprint, to secure their ranking, he played over 40 minutes for thirteen consecutive games while injured.
After All-Star Weekend, he'd already had eleven games where he scored over 40 points (this only includes stats after All-Star Weekend and two 50+ point games).
One night, famous Lakers fan Jack Nicholson once asked Kobe, "Hey, Kobe, how come you always score so many points?"
Kobe's reply was full of helplessness: "Because I have to score those points to get us back to where we belong."
So, whenever Kobe had too many shot attempts in a game, the media, who usually focused on his shot count, suddenly changed their tune.
They were hoping Kobe would rack up high-scoring game after high-scoring game because everyone knew that was the only way this struggling powerhouse could return to the playoffs.
For this, Kobe's teammate Brian Cook reminded everyone: "Chicago folks say Kobe isn't a hero when he plays like this. But I say, without Kobe's scoring, we'd probably have started our vacation early."
Monta Ellis supported Kobe, saying, "No one knows what he goes through every night. Since the new year, he's been playing injured every night, but he never complains, at least not like that jerk who uses 'foot injuries' all the time to prove he's still in his prime."
Undoubtedly, this Kobe Bryant was worthy of respect.
From early March to April, under his leadership, the Lakers won one crucial battle after another and finally, just before the regular season ended, raised their ranking to seventh in the Western Conference.
Although they could still be squeezed out of the playoff picture at the last minute of the regular season, compared to the despair at the start of the season, Lakers fans had already seen a glimmer of hope in Kobe.
The Messiah's Arrival
April 11th, evening, Staples Center.
As Kobe finished his ice bath and walked from the locker room to the arena, the fans, already filling their seats, immediately began chanting "MVP, MVP!" for him.
Assistant coach Brian Shaw immediately came over, concerned, "Can your body hold up for 40 minutes?"
Kobe smiled and replied, "Which night can't I hold up for 40 minutes?"
Tonight, facing the visiting Warriors at Staples Center, the entire Lakers team was eager for revenge.
Because at the start of the regular season, that Warriors' Messiah had snatched away what should have been Kobe's night at Staples Center with a game-winning shot.
Even now, Kobe wouldn't allow anyone to mention the 70 points he scored in that game in front of him.
Because in Kobe's eyes, that was neither something to brag about nor something to remember fondly.
Winners are kings, losers are villains.
In Kobe's view, only weak, mediocre people would talk about their failures to the world and call them a "great failure."
When did failure ever get to be associated with greatness?
Would Elgin Baylor tell the world that because he made it to the Finals so many times, his numerous runner-up finishes held value? That people shouldn't ignore his dominance in repeatedly reaching the Finals?
Just like now, even though he was about to lead the Lakers into the playoffs, Kobe still felt he wasn't associated with greatness.
On the Lakers' half of the court, taking the ball from Ellis, Kobe officially began his pre-game warm-up.
"Booo—!"
Meanwhile, as the subject of "Goodnight, Los Angeles," as soon as a certain person (Zack) appeared on the court, the entire arena erupted in boos for him.
During the warm-up, as this person shot with boos raining down, almost every basket he made caused the volume of the boos to increase a level.
Especially when he was interviewed by ESPN before the game, the fans immediately expressed their feelings towards him with ear-splitting boos that echoed through the arena.
Los Angeles, doesn't like you.
Staples Center, doesn't welcome you.
As Lakers fans, we hate you.
"See how popular I am here?" While being interviewed, facing the ESPN reporter, a certain person said.
Hearing this, the ESPN reporter, feeling like he could barely hear what this person was saying the next second, chuckled bitterly, "Please don't make my job harder, Messiah."
Then, the reporter, braving the harsh boos, asked, "You're about to face the Lakers. You've already secured the fifth seed in the West, while the Lakers need a win to secure their spot. Do you think you'll go all out as usual?"
Zack nodded, "You know me, I always go all out, especially in Los Angeles."
At that moment, Zack was definitely not intentionally making the ESPN reporter's interview difficult.
Because this season, in games played in Los Angeles, whether against the Clippers or the Lakers, Zack's performance was always surprisingly good.
In the NBA, many stars have their own lucky charm locations, like Stephen Curry playing in Charlotte, or Michael Jordan always flipping the "God mode" switch in New York.
While you can't explain this phenomenon scientifically, Zack had indeed met the second condition he set for himself before this game against the Lakers: having excellent in-game form.
"My God, when you said 'especially in Los Angeles' just now, do you know how many fans here were booing you?" Brown asked, rushing up to Zack as he finished his interview and returned to the bench.
Zack laughed, "I guess, about twenty thousand?"
Seeing this, Brown said, "Why aren't you worried at all that those boos will affect your performance?"
Zack thought for a moment, then said, "Because playing under boos always motivates me."
At this moment, Zack wasn't intentionally showing off his increasingly strong "big heart" to Brown.
It was because ever since his college days...
He had already gotten used to playing under a sky full of boos.
Beside them, looking at the disbelieving Brown, Jack said, "Do you know how the Messiah's first nickname became famous in the ACC? He's the big shot who dared to silence the 'Cameron Crazies' at Duke."
That's right, although the boos at Staples Center tonight might indeed scare some players who hadn't played college basketball, compared to Duke's insane home court, in Zack's eyes, the Lakers fans' "quality" tonight was perhaps a bit too high.
Tip-Off: A Duel Begins
After warm-ups and player introductions, both teams' starters took the court.
For the Lakers: Chris Mihm, Lamar Odom, Brian Cook, Kobe Bryant, and Derek Fisher.
For the Warriors: Kwame Brown, Zack, Ron Artest, Jason Richardson, and Baron Davis.
In the jump ball, Brown easily defeated Mihm.
After Davis dribbled past half-court, the Warriors quickly positioned themselves around Zack in a Flex offense formation.
Montgomery, the Warriors' head coach, found it amusing to recall how bewildered everyone looked when they first tried to run this offense at the start of the regular season.
Because everyone on the Warriors team had their own ideas back then, no matter how hard Montgomery tried, he couldn't replicate this tactic that had become famous in college basketball because of Zack.
But it was different now.
After a season of getting used to each other, this Warriors team now had the conditions to execute the Flex offense.
In the low post, after a cross-screen with Brown and using Artest's screen, Zack smoothly curled to the top of the arc to receive the ball.
At that moment, noticing that Odom hadn't gotten around the screen in time, he immediately took his first shot of the night.
A perfectly elegant, straight-up three-point jumper.
Although shortly after, the Lakers' basket responded with a "clang" to Zack's smooth three-point attempt, Brown, over Mihm's head, used his quick jump to tip the offensive rebound back to the Warriors.
And, since Odom had retreated to the basket to box out and was now too late to get back out to the perimeter, he could only watch helplessly as Zack received a pass from his teammate and fired another three-pointer.
Swish!
This was Zack's first three-pointer of the night, and he successfully opened his scoring account.
3-0.
"Good rebound just now."
"I told you I'm ten thousand times better than that kid Andris!"
Zack didn't mind Brown's habit of deliberately putting down teammates after receiving praise; instead, he turned his attention to Kobe, who was about to go one-on-one with Artest.
This Lakers team, still lacking the central pivot for a full Triangle offense, was running a simplified version.
But so what if it was simplified, as long as it helped Kobe create one-on-one situations?
On the right side of the court, after receiving the ball, Kobe, who immediately took an elbow from Artest, suddenly frowned.
Clearly, compared to Pietrus, Artest definitely had more experience in "snake charming."
In this matchup with Kobe, Artest didn't cling to Kobe like Pietrus often did, but instead only intensified his defense at critical moments.
This way, Kobe's offensive rhythm could easily be disrupted by Artest.
This was a very smart way to defend.
But generally, most people couldn't learn it.
And...
It's probably best not to learn it.
Because considering the intensity Artest was bringing against Kobe tonight, if you imitated Artest in your casual games, you would definitely lose all your friends and become a true "lone wolf" on the court.
On the court, Kobe's first shot missed, bouncing off the rim and into Brown's hands.
Tonight, to conserve energy, Zack had even entrusted the crucial task of securing defensive rebounds to Brown.
While deeply grateful for the king's boundless grace, Brown also wondered when exactly Zack, the king, planned to unleash another scoring explosion.
The King of Swagger Responds
Staples Center, Warriors' offensive possession.
The Lakers, not allowing themselves to be beaten twice by the same trick, successfully stopped the Warriors' play with a switch.
But, Chris Mihm was forced to switch onto Zack.
Facing what the Los Angeles media called the "worst starting center in Lakers history," Zack showed him no mercy, immediately picking up speed after getting the ball.
If it were in the low post, Mihm might have been able to withstand Zack with his weight.
But since Mihm was drawn out high by Zack for the switch, his performance in this defensive possession could only be described as pathetic.
In the Lakers' paint, Fisher, who had an opportunity to help Mihm, decided against it after weighing the size difference between himself and Zack.
Bang, Swish!
However, the next second, what Lakers fans had imagined...
That damn tomahawk dunk didn't happen.
Because Zack, with only scoring in his eyes tonight, wouldn't waste his precious energy on that offensive possession.
At this moment, gazing at Zack's intensely burning eyes, and sniffing out that same "stink" of determination in his gaze, Kobe immediately signaled to Odom with his eyes.
However, Kobe clearly overestimated his telepathic connection with Odom.
At this moment, what Kobe wanted to convey to Odom with his eyes was to be careful of Zack.
But from Odom's perspective, he thought Kobe wanted him to also go on a scoring spree in the next possession.
So, emboldened by the perceived permission from Kobe, Odom, immediately after crossing half-court, confidently demanded the ball from Fisher.
And, he even dramatically held up four fingers, clearly meaning:
"Everybody clear out! I'm going one-on-one by royal decree!"
Seeing this, even Kobe didn't know where Odom got that confidence from.
Because...
The person Odom was about to go one-on-one against was Zack.
One of the hot candidates for NBA Defensive Player of the Year this year.
However, to Kobe's surprise, Odom, who rushed forward recklessly, actually managed to dribble past Zack's defense and drove alone into the Warriors' paint, completing an astonishingly smooth layup.
"Was this guy this strong when we played him before?"
On the court, the moment he completed his offense, Zack was also completely bewildered.
Although Zack was indeed conserving energy on defense tonight, that didn't mean he wasn't playing seriously just now.
Because facing such a fierce player who dared to challenge him one-on-one, Zack would always give them enough respect.
But, was that really Odom just now? That was clearly a supersized Magic Johnson!
From his dribbling rhythm to his acceleration, Odom was practically flawless in every aspect.
That's right, it was a textbook-perfect, perimeter one-on-one drive!
Of course.
This perfect one-on-one play from Odom also had an unexpected effect.
It successfully ignited the flames of jealousy in a certain narrow-minded individual!
Seeing that this was unbearable, a certain person (Zack), after taking long strides to the Lakers' half, immediately put out his hand and demanded the ball from Davis.
Then, facing a fully prepared Odom, this person, after making a Jordan-esque single-handed jab step threat, immediately put the ball down and accelerated.
At this instant, from Odom's perspective...
The image of a tank speeding on an F1 race track instantly overwhelmed him.
Just as this person was about to break through his defense, Odom tried to foul him to stop him.
But the other party didn't give Odom a chance, and after rapidly bursting past Odom's defense, he surged unstoppably towards the Lakers' basket, completing a highly vindictive windmill dunk over Chris Mihm's head!
On TNT, Barkley exclaimed at the same time, "My God! If this were a dunk contest tonight, I would definitely give the Messiah's dunk a 10!"
Beside him, Smith chimed in, "Windmill poster dunk! Did he have absolutely no regard for the opposing defender when he dunked just now?"
Mihm took the blame.
Because if it weren't for Odom's perfect one-on-one play just now, why would a certain person waste his precious energy on such a vengeful dunk in the opening stages?
However, at this moment, Mihm was not alone in his struggle.
Under the basket, seeing a certain person still hanging on the rim, swaggering after dunking over Mihm, the entire Staples Center immediately erupted in sharp boos.
But even so, this person, still unable to quell the hatred in his heart, did not back down.
The next second, in front of nearly twenty thousand Lakers fans, he directly put his left hand to his ear and made a listening gesture.
On the sidelines, famous Lakers fan Jack Nicholson said unhappily, "Hey, you damn jerk, are you trying to declare war on Los Angeles?"
Hearing this, a certain person rolled his eyes at Nicholson and said, "Shut up, the war has already begun, you idiot who plays with women and drugs yourself stupid!"
Undoubtedly, facing this person's retaliatory response, even Chris Mihm felt an unexplainable surge of anger.
Because this was Los Angeles, this was Staples Center, and its rafters hung fourteen championship banners and numerous legendary jerseys.
At this moment, facing such an arrogant and domineering individual, if any Lakers player on the court showed weakness, backed down, or knelt, how could they be worthy of the jersey they wore, how could they be worthy of this uniform full of honor?
In the NBA, even the most mediocre Lakers player would not choose to kneel before this person at this moment.
And on the Warriors' bench, seeing this scene, Murphy looked at Dunleavy Jr. in confusion, "Mike... if the Messiah wants to score a lot of points tonight, shouldn't he, by all accounts, not provoke his opponents on the court?"
Looking back at Murphy, Dunleavy Jr. said, "What's the point of a high score like that? A true hero has to face the opponent's wrath directly and, with a perfect scoring performance, enjoy the opponent's helpless fury after the game."
Yes, the war had already begun.
On the court, after Fisher dribbled past half-court, Kobe, as the master of Staples Center, nailed a pull-up jumper after using his iron elbow to create space from Artest.
And, since the referees hadn't even called a technical foul on a certain person for hanging on the rim just now, Kobe naturally responded with a classic throat-slitting gesture.
On TNT, Barkley immediately felt his blood, which should have long cooled, boiling again, "Kobe Bryant has offered his throat-slitting gesture to the Messiah of the Bay Area! Now, how will the Messiah respond?"
How to respond?
On the court, after forcibly bumping into Odom, and enduring Mihm's completely illegal defensive move, a certain person shot a floater that went in just before he fell out of bounds!
Immediately after, this person quickly got up and returned Kobe's classic throat-slitting gesture.
On TNT, Smith immediately burst out laughing, "This is the NBA game we want to see! Listing this regular season game as a nationally televised broadcast was absolutely the smartest decision the league made this year!"
The smartest decision?
In fact, this might have been Stern's biggest regret.
Because the nature of this game already went against Stern's principle of wanting the NBA not to lead children astray.
But so what?
Would the children who grew up watching Teletubbies not go astray in the future?
Basketball is a sport that requires guts and spirit.
Because its rules dictate that without that spirit, it's destined to become boring and tedious.
At this moment, Mark quickly comforted Stern, "David... I think you don't need to worry. Since the kids back then grew up watching Michael play, why should we worry about the kids of the future?"
After a pause, Mark added, "And in this game, Kobe and the Messiah are just competing on the court, it's not like they're directly fighting like before.
Are we going to suppress the personalities of our star players just so we don't lead kids astray?"
Hearing this, Stern instantly came to his senses and said, "I think you're right, Mark."
Mark was, of course, right.
Because no matter how much money Adam Silver makes for the NBA or how much he expands its reach in the future, the NBA twenty years from now will tell you with its declining viewership how important the guts and personality of this sport truly are.
Staples Center.
Kobe Bryant just charged menacingly towards the Warriors' half.
The next second, Zack, who personally blocked Kobe's hop-step layup, initiated a fast break into the Lakers' territory and was then collectively thrown to the floor by Chris Mihm and Lamar Odom.
This was the first foul called by the referees tonight.
The referees' lenient officiating since the start of the game meant they would definitely not be the main characters in the war that was about to unfold.
So, after complaining to Odom and Mihm that they hadn't thrown him hard enough, Zack immediately stepped to the free-throw line.
And amidst the deafening boos, he made both free throws.
Now, Kwame Brown believed it.
What Zack had said to him before the game wasn't just bragging.
Because even Larry Bird, in Brown's eyes at this moment, was only worthy of being called a physically weaker version of Zack...